Your ruling? Uh, sure, man... Not disputing that. If you decide to moderate a discussion, that's not particularly an attack on me.

More facts for the curious:

The three categories of discussion which are invisible to non-members are "little ideas" and "game design help," the game design discussion categories, and "links to gaming discussions" which is links.

None of these contain "complaints about regular gamers." On the main page right now, I can find one thread even vaguely related to that, which is a newbie complaining that his group won't try indie games, and a lot of people (including me) saying that he should stop pushing them to do something that they don't want to do and find other people to play his indie games with, plus a lot of tips and support for doing so.

There are somewhere in the neighborhood of a dozen threads complaining about indie/story games or their players.

AFAIK, Story Games has only ever turned down one application for membership, so it's not like it's hard to read those three categories.

yrs--
--Ben

Quote from: Ben LehmanYour ruling? Uh, sure, man... Not disputing that. If you decide to moderate a discussion, that's not particularly an attack on me.

More facts for the curious:

The three categories of discussion which are invisible to non-members are "little ideas" and "game design help," the game design discussion categories, and "links to gaming discussions" which is links.

None of these contain "complaints about regular gamers." On the main page right now, I can find one thread even vaguely related to that, which is a newbie complaining that his group won't try indie games, and a lot of people (including me) saying that he should stop pushing them to do something that they don't want to do and find other people to play his indie games with, plus a lot of tips and support for doing so.

There are somewhere in the neighborhood of a dozen threads complaining about indie/story games or their players.

AFAIK, Story Games has only ever turned down one application for membership, so it's not like it's hard to read those three categories.

yrs--
--Ben

Really?  Who did they turn down?  Anyone we know?

Quote from: Ben LehmanThe post in question

Factually, it's in public.

Also, if you can read that without realizing that it's tongue-in-cheek ... you are a very special sort of person.

Since you all seem to have Story Games accounts, I'm happy to talk about it over there. Or over here.

edit: stupid non-HTML allowing board.

I don't have a Story Games account....and after reading that I'm not likely to ever want one. Staring artificial flamewars to hype a product is just underhanded and stupid.

 There are better things to do on the web. Like find maps or usable NPCs for my next game session.

- Ed C.

Quote from: James J SkachReally?  Who did they turn down?  Anyone we know?

Ask Andy.

Quote from: KoltarThere are better things to do on the web. Like find maps or usable NPCs for my next game session.

- Ed C.

Or post about how you're never going to get an account there, huh =)

Pundit,

If you want to move them to Off-Topic - hey man, it's your forum - Rock the Fuck On.

I'm saddened, a bit, because now I'll be violating Kyle's and J Arcane's posting rulez about posting in the RPG versus Off Topic...but I'll live.

I'm just using it as a golden opportunity, to, in public, get some answers and put people on the record in a more transparent way.  You can't do it at the Forge - the discussion's over there.  You can't do it at RPGNet, to try to accomplish anything in that sea of humanity is difficult at best - not to mention the moderation would be horrible.

I can't, actually, think of a better place to shine the light of reason and understanding on this entire conflict than here at TheRPGSite.  Not because I want to necessarily call anyone out or extend the conflict, but because, perhaps, we can get down to some root issues/differences, help people understand how this or that might be insulting, and perhaps move beyond the conflict.

Quote from: KoltarI don't have a Story Games account....and after reading that I'm not likely to ever want one. Staring artificial flamewars to hype a product is just underhanded and stupid.

 There are better things to do on the web. Like find maps or usable NPCs for my next game session.

I can't imagine you would ever want a Story Games account. I can't imagine that the discussions there would be of much interest to you.

As far as "intentional flamewars," I think that there's a big difference between "hahah! we'll falsely argue with each other whilst stroking our goatees evilly!" and "If you've got negative things to say, here are ways to say them that will get you a good reception."

Because I think a post about how much Polaris is a swiney game (or whatever) here is going to net a much more positive response here than it would on the Forge. Likewise, a post about how Polaris's pacing mechanics are too derivative of (I dunno) MLwM would be better received on the Forge than here. That's non-controversial, right?

edit: missing word "here" in the last graph.

I will say that the practice of starting flamewars or stirring shit or whatever you want to call it for the purpose of marketing does play into my suspicions of the entire GNS/Forge movement being nothing more than a marketing ploy from beginning to end...

I mean:

Quote from: Russell CollinsCreate a second login from another IP address. Post a few times with each login using a different voice (you're a roleplayer, figure it out.) Start a flamewar between your home self and your office self. Keep going until more people join the fight.

This is a bannable offense of course, but if it puts money in your wallet, do you really care? Besides, it earns you cred as a bad kid.

If you really don't want to be banned, coordinate with your new pal from some con to carry out the same plan. Then, after your sales boost, the two of you can be seen at GenCon, coming to terms with your differences and making out beneath the shadow of the WotC booth.

WTF?

There's a difference between soliciting legitimate feedback - good or bad - and creating false buzz in the manner described above for the sole purposes of "money in your wallet."

Where are you people taking your cues from, the Brittney Spears Lindsay Lohan Academy of Publicity?

James:  You mean the post that immediately garnered two "Don't do that" replies?  Quoting a bit out of context, aren't you?

Quote from: TonyLBJames:  You mean the post that immediately garnered two "Don't do that" replies?  Quoting a bit out of context, aren't you?

No Tony..I'm not.  The next quote, in fact, does not say don't do it. It says, specifically:

Quote from: Thunder_GodRussel, sometimes these things are found out. Hand puppets are the killer to sales, no matter what else happens.

So, ya know, it's not quite as clear cut.

Now in defence of Mr. Lehman, he is more direct in saying he would not reccomend what Russel does, so credit to him there.

Now, to be fair, I think the "Vibe" thread from Stumpydave should be moved.  I mean, after all, it starts:

Quote from: StumpydaveRight, where did this idea that games that emphasise the story are lesser than those that take a more (for want of a better word) Gygaxian approach spring from? Because this site has just left me cold for the past couple of months.

It started when there seemed to be a groupthink that unless a game was based upon a twenty+ year old system then it was a swine game designed to emulate chick flicks and rom coms and worthy only of the inverted snobbery one finds in working class politics.

So what happened?

No?

EDIT:  Referring to post #25.

Fair enough.  That's putting it in context ... which, honestly?  All I wanted.

With these "Let's talk about another thread" posts, so few people will actually read the other thread that it's always a dicey proposition to pick out a single post.  It runs the risk of implying that the post you pick is the exemplar of what the thread was about.

I mean, I was gonna pick out some of the uber-goofy ones, but ... same thing applies.  The thread is more nuanced as a whole than any one of its posts.

Seconded, move the vibe thread.

Quote from: James J SkachNow, to be fair, I think the "Vibe" thread from Stumpydave should be moved.

I sense a slippery slope here, folks...

So, any thread that includes actual *discussion* of a type of RPG (Story Games or whateverthefuck you want to call them) is now Off Topic?  On a general discussion RPG forum?


TGA

Quote from: The Good AssyrianI sense a slippery slope here, folks...

So, any thread that includes actual *discussion* of a type of RPG (Story Games or whateverthefuck you want to call them) is now Off Topic?  On a general discussion RPG forum?


TGA

Thanks for understanding, TGA.